6 Colorado Players To Watch at the 2022 PDGA Disc Golf World Championships
, 2022-08-26 11:02:50,
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Disc golf hasn’t just gone bananas at the course in your local green space. The rise in recreational popularity—in Colorado and across the nation—has coincided with more interest in the professional side of the game. And with more eyes comes more investment: multiyear, multimillion-dollar sponsorship contracts for the best players and bigger-money tournaments like next week’s 2022 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships.
From August 30 to September 3, the best disc golfers on the planet will descend on Emporia, Kansas, to compete, including nearly a dozen Coloradans in the men’s and women’s pro divisions. Meet some of them below, then go cheer them on in person (five-day passes are only $100); watch live coverage on the Disc Golf Network ($12 per month for full access); or catch free post-production coverage on popular YouTube channels like JomezPro.
Age: 24
PDGA U.S. Tour Rank (at press time): 5
Boulder-born McMahon went pro at age 13, achieved the highest PDGA rating in the world in 2018, and has won more than $245,000 in tournament prize money. His rabid fan base (his YouTube channel has 70,000 subscribers) will be cheering for the Discmania-sponsored athlete to come back from a significant shoulder injury this past spring to contend for the men’s division title—which isn’t as crazy as it sounds, given that he pulled off a first-place finish at July’s European Open without being able to use his signature right-hand forehand shot.
Age: 23
PDGA U.S. Tour Rank (at press time): 20
OK, so Panis technically lives in California now—but she grew up and learned to play in Colorado, and she credits our state’s thin air for forcing her to throw hard and develop the distance that gives her an edge over many of her competitors. After signing a four-year, $500,000 contract with Dynamic Discs in January, Panis, who was formerly with Innova Disc Golf, had to adjust to a new lineup of discs this season. With Emporia being the home of her new sponsor, though, Panis has high hopes of—and a good shot at—taking the women’s division at the 2022 PDGA Disc Golf World Championships.
Age: 28
PDGA U.S. Tour Rank (at press time): 8
Based in Loveland, this member of Innova’s Team Champion—“disc golf’s perennial road warriors,”…
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